The Utah Education Network, the entity that provides the communications network and other services for higher education, public schools and libraries, contracted with XO Communications and Qwest Communications for the upgrade.

The two companies provide a 10-gigabits-per-second, fiber-optic circuit that links Utah State University, Weber State University, the University of Utah, Salt Lake Community College, Utah Valley University and the state's Richfield Data Center. The state's school districts and libraries connect to the network through hubs at those institutions.

The circuit connecting those schools had been 1 gigabits - 1 billion bits of electronic data - but Utah Education Network officials said they found that growth in use sometimes overloaded the circuit.

"The transition from 1-gigabit to 10-gigabit Ethernet circuits is like going from a one-lane road to a 10-lane freeway," said Executive Director Mike Petersen.

After a bidding process, Qwest, the Denver-based provider of telephone service to the Wasatch Front, was awarded a contract worth about $23,000 a month to provide four segments of the new circuit. XO Communications of Herndon, Va., provides a fifth section for $9,500 a month.

About half the cost of those circuits are paid by Utah taxpayers, with the federal government picking up the other half.

The Utah Education Network provides the computer network for facilities serving 500,000 students, as well as video conferencing and classroom support services. It also operates television station KUEN for the Utah State Board of Regents.

"We've enabled the network to put whatever they want to put on the network," said Jim Stewart, UEN technical services director.

The network consists of 1,085 miles of lines, almost all leased from private data and communications companies.

tharvey@sltrib.com